


Grass Is Always Greener

by delighted



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Domestic, First Kiss, M/M, Pre-Slash, Sexual Tension, not quite fluff but light
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-22
Updated: 2015-12-22
Packaged: 2018-05-08 10:24:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5493818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/delighted/pseuds/delighted
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve mows the lawn. Danny likes to watch.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Grass Is Always Greener

The first time Danny sat and watched while Steve mowed the lawn, he’d just stopped by, on a lazy Saturday afternoon. He’d been feeling somewhat aimless, and didn’t really know what to do, and hadn’t planned on showing up at the McGarrett house—God knew he saw the man enough during working hours, thank you, so why he felt the need to spend even more time with him during his “free” time, he had no idea. It was called “free” time, after all, not “compulsively drawn to your insane partner” time. Danny grumbled, as he stepped out of the Camaro. But then he smelled it. Freshly cut grass. And heard the buzz of the mower. Something hitched inside him at that, and he found himself oddly compelled to see this... ordinary, domestic, heck,  _normal_ sight. He rounded the corner into the yard, and sure enough, right there, golden in the stupid Hawaiian sun, was Steve McGarrett, in all his glory, pushing a lawn mower in perfect (probably military regulation) strips, across the green, green grass. He looked up and saw Danny, and _dangit_ the smile that spread across his face went directly to Danny's heart.

Danny wandered over to a chair in one of the already done areas, and sat easily down to watch Steve’s continued progress. He moved slowly, purposefully, almost meditatively, as if he were completely committed to the task at hand, not wanting to rush through it and get on to something else, something more fun, more entertaining. For some reason, Danny found that incredibly sexy—uh, incredibly... yeah, yeah, ok, incredibly _sexy_. Dammit. Danny stopped short of thinking Steve looked so at home, so easy and natural, but it was true. It just _fit_. And it was a beautiful sight.

Some time while he was thinking all that, he’d tilted his head, and stretched his legs out in front of him, and perhaps he looked a little bemused, and maybe just a tiny bit flushed, by the time Steve finished. Leaving the lawn mower where it was, Steve ambled over to Danny and sat down next to him.

“Hey, buddy!” He said, and his tone was so _happy_ , Danny almost giggled.

“Hey, babe,” Danny replied, and he was probably still looking entertained by the show, ahem, so he felt the need to add something a bit snarky, to balance that out. “Done with your chores? Can you come out and play?”

Steve laughed full heartedly at that. “You bet!” He said, smacking Danny on the thigh. “Wanna come in while I get ready?”

Danny kept himself from imagining that too fully. Almost. “Yeah, babe. Sure thing.”

*

The second time Danny found Steve mowing the lawn, it had been less pleasurable. Danny'd gotten a call for a case, but Steve wasn't picking up his phone, and maybe, ok, maybe just a little, Danny had freaked out. So he’d sped over there, and was trying to talk himself down from imagining—ok, but see, that’s just it, he didn’t have to imagine, because he’d BEEN THROUGH THIS BEFORE, thank you—what might have befallen the great big lumbering idiotic oaf. He was going to affix that phone to Steve. Or install a tracker. Yeah. That was a better idea. He’d tag him, like they did with those sea creatures in the documentaries that Gracie was always watching. It could tell him Steve’s heart rate, body temperature, electrolyte levels.... Actually, the more Danny thought about it, the better an idea it seemed.

So, when he pulled up in front of Steve’s house and smelled the cut grass and heard the mower, maybe the sense memory wiped the anger from his mind and filled it with the green, green grass contrasting with that golden brown skin....

Danny sighed in disappointment that he couldn’t sit and watch this time because the case was urgent, so he went to interrupt the sight reluctantly.

*

After the missed lawn-mowing-watching event, Danny might have started trying to work out Steve’s lawn mowing routine. He would ask questions about Steve’s weekend plans, drop suggestions about needing to do housework, and various other (not really very) subtle attempts to ascertain when he might have the best chance of getting to watch Steve mow the lawn. But, he was a detective, after all, please remember, so eventually he thought he’d worked it out, within a reasonable window. So, at the appointed time, he headed over. When he pulled up, he didn’t hear or smell the tell-tale signs, and he was maybe a little bit disappointed. He went to the front door, and was rewarded by the sight of a shirtless Steve.

“Hey, buddy!” Steve pulled him in to the house, and into a hug. Danny kind of just stammered, because, um, they’d seen each other like 12 hours ago. “I was just about to mow the lawn...” Danny tried to bite back his gleeful grin. “Wanna wait while I do, then we can make some sandwiches and hang out?”

“Yeah, sure,” Danny _tried_ for easy going, not a care in the world... rather than kid in a candy store. Pretty sure he missed.

“Ok, great!” Steve exclaimed, sounding waaay too happy about that. “Grab yourself a beer and come on out,” Steve called, as he headed outside.

Danny had to calm himself down a little bit, so he grabbed a beer and opened it and took a good long swig before taking a couple deep breaths and heading outside, to sit on the lanai, and watch Steve mow the lawn in perfect, immaculate green stripes. The long shadows cast by the sun thru the dense greenery that enveloped the yard created sparking contrast to the sun glistening off Steve’s tanned back. It was refreshing, Danny reflected (as though he felt the need to justify his attraction to watching this spectacle), to see Steve be slow and methodical about something. It proved it was possible, and he wanted to point that out, but he was pretty sure if he tried he’d wind up being teased for watching Steve so closely and that was a bit too close to the mark, thank you, so no. He’d avoid pointing that one out. But it was still refreshing.

When Steve was finished he came and sat down next to Danny, and the smell of sweat mingled with fresh grass was absolutely not intoxicating, and that wasn’t why Danny was breathing in so deeply, he just needed some air, as it was after all a warm day. Steve grabbed Danny’s beer from him and took a sip. And see, it was _hot_ out, what do you expect.

“Think I’ll jump in the water for a bit, wanna come?” Steve asked.

“No, no, you go ahead, I’ll just sit here like a grown up,” Danny replied as calmly as he could, but he was fairly sure he had a new favorite viewing activity. Mowing and then swimming? Danny rolled his eyes and sighed long-sufferingly. 

“Ok, Danno, be right back,” Steve called as he headed for the beach, because of course, Steve mowed the lawn in his swim trunks. Well, wouldn’t you?

Danny couldn’t resist. He got up and moved to the chairs at the edge of the sand, you know, just to keep an eye out for sharks or something. Yeah.

True to his word, Steve was only in for a short while, and emerged to shake himself off over Danny, who put up a good show of being annoyed, but _crap_ he actually wasn’t really all that annoyed. Um, like, at all. Shit.

They headed inside after that to make sandwiches, then took them out to the upstairs lanai along with a few beers, and had a lovely afternoon, and ok, maybe the smell of freshly cut grass was influencing how Danny was feeling, but really, it was lovely. Ok, and maybe just a little bit the fact that Steve didn't bother changing or putting a tee on over his swim trunks... maybe that was a little bit lovely as well. Just a little. Maybe. 

*

Danny didn’t want Steve to become suspicious. You know, that he was intentionally hanging out while Steve mowed the lawn. Because Danny was the detective, but Steve did have intelligence training after all, and he was big and cute but he was most certainly not dumb, though he did seem to be the tiniest bit oblivious when it came to a certain blond cop’s increasingly poorly hidden attraction to him. He sighed. Scolded himself. And sighed again.

So, it was intentionally a few weeks before Danny allowed himself the lawn mowing viewing that had become his favorite indulgence.

He got a bit of one by accident because he’d had to go back to pick up some toys Gracie had left after an afternoon of swimming at Uncle Steve’s house. Danny threw blessings towards his daughter for that, as when he pulled up he smelled the grass. He calmed himself, thinking Steve must have been off his usual schedule (which Danny had tried very hard to forget) because of their beach day. Steve was just finishing up when Danny walked into the yard. He tried _really hard_ not to look disappointed, but he was fairly sure he failed.

Steve flashed Danny that ridiculous grin—the one that absolutely did not make Danny’s heart skip a beat—when he saw him, and loped over to give him a hug, and again, whaa? He’d _just_ been there.... But as it afforded him opportunity to inhale deeply, yeah, ok, he didn't exactly mind.

“Can you stay for a beer?” Steve asked, knowing Danny had come back for Gracie’s toys.

“Sure, babe,” Danny replied. Who was he to resist such an offer.

“Great!” Said Steve, again, with so much enthusiasm it kind of befuddled Danny. “You go grab some while I put this thing away,” he called as he wandered off back towards the mower.

Danny sighed, shook his head slightly, and went in to get some beers and maybe splash some cold water on his face.

*

Then, a while later, after a week where Steve had been wearing extra tight tee shirts, making extra dramatic moves, being extra gallant with the door opening, and even driving the speed limit some of the time, Danny was beginning to feel that Steve was intentionally tormenting him.

So, Danny headed over to Steve’s house at the usual lawn mowing time, because dammit after a week of Steve pretty much flaunting himself in Danny’s face, he deserved a reward for not tackling him in the middle of the office. Steve had already started by the time Danny got there, so Danny just sat himself down on the lanai and tried really hard not to drool.

As soon as Steve turned the mower off, Danny had had enough. He got up and walked over to where Steve had just finished. He knew he had an especially intense look on his face, but he just didn’t care.

“Hey, Danno,” Steve said fondly. “Wanna grab some beers?” Danny just shook his head. “You ok, Danno?” Steve asked. Danny shook his head again. “What's wrong?” Steve asked, seeming concerned. Danny had reached Steve by that point, stopped, directly in front of him, and damn if Steve didn’t lean in closer as if he just couldn’t help it. Looking up into those eyes that looked so green out here in the grass, Danny reached up and kissed Steve directly on the mouth. Steve hummed into Danny’s mouth, and wrapped his arms around him, pulling him in close. Taking a deep breath of grass and _Steve_ , Danny ran his fingers thru Steve’s hair, which made Steve pull Danny in even closer. Eventually they pulled back, gasping slightly. There was a smirk spreading across Steve’s face, and Danny knew he was done for.

“You like to watch me mow the lawn, don’t you,” Steve said, and it really wasn’t a question at all, and yeah, Steve wasn’t quite as oblivious as he sometimes seemed.

Danny shook his head slightly in amusement. “You knew.”

Steve licked his lower lip as he looked down at his blushing partner. He nodded slightly. “Yeah, I kinda figured after about the fourth time,” he laughed, then pulled Danny back in for another searing kiss. And if the smell of cut grass took on a whole different meaning after that day, well. Danny wasn’t complaining.


End file.
